Power-transmission mechanism.



C. B. KURTZ.

POWER TRANSMiSSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION man my 22. 1915.

1,293,646. Patented Feb.4,1919.

CYRUS B. KURTZ, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

POWER-TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

Application filedMay 22, 1915. Serial No. 99,031.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUS B. Kon'rz, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lakewood, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Power-Transmission Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present invention relates to power transmission mechanism for use in vehicles or in the transmission of power where the driven load varies or where the torque required is continually changing. To accomplish this result, I have made use of two electric units in combination with difl'erential mechanism between the engine and the driven shaft, so that the torque may be increased as is found necessary. By combining these elements with the fly wheel of an engine I have obtained a very compact mechanism and one of the electric units may be employed as a starting motor.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing Figure 1, is a sectional view through the present construction, showing my'entire device; Fig. 2, is a diagrammatic view of the wiring; and Fig. 3, is a diagramatic sketch of the gearing taken on line 3-3,

Briefly stated, theginvention consists in the use of two electric units, suitably connected by differential mechanism operating against reaction members, the latter being connected to the driven shaf and being held from rotating when the mechanism is used to start the engine. In the present device, as shown in Fig. 1, I show a housing 1 which will be attached to a crank case 2 of an engine and will extend rearwardly to carry the electric dynamos, clutch and differential mechanism, thus taking the place of the usual transmission unit. To the crank shaft 3 of an engine (not shown) I preferably bolt a fly wheel member 4 which will have an extending portion 5 with hand hole pinions 6 therein. To the forward end of the member 1 ball bearings 7 are attached which are designed to carry a floating shaft 8 which will be alined with the engine crankshaft 3.

In the fly wheel member, I preferably mount a dynamo electric member in the form of a field coil 9, and to the rear end of the member 4 an internal gear 11 is attached. A second and cooperative dynamo electric member in the form of an armature 10 is mounted on said floating shaft so as to be freely rotatable therewith and this armature 10 has a rearwardly extending portion 26 to which a small spur gear 12 is attached, this gear being alined with the large internal gear 11 carried by the member 4. The extending portion 26 of the armature is carried on ball bearings 27 mounted in the rear end of the member 4:, in order to provide an antifriction mounting for the floating shaft 8 and the armature 10. These two dynamo electric members 9 and 10 form the first electric unit and are adapted to act as a clutch to transmit the power of the engine.

The driven shaft 13 is mounted in an antifriction bearing 28 which is mounted on the end of the floating shaft 8 and this driven shaft 13 has keyed or otherwise fastened thereto an annular flange or spider 15 in which are mounted a series of short stub shafts 16 carrying spur gears 17 These small spur gears mesh with the internal gear 11 and the small armature mounted gear 12. Thus the flange 15 bearing the stub shafts 16 serves as a reaction member during the starting action, when it is held from rotation in the manner to be presently explained.

Within the housing 1 to the rear of the first electrical unit, a second electrical unit is mounted,one dynamo electric member of this second unit in the form of a field coil 30 is carried by the housing and while the second cooperative dynamo element in the form of an armature 31 is freely rotatable about the driven shaft, being mounted upon ball bearings 32. This armature has a rearwardl-y extending tube or flange 33 carrying a small spur gear 34. similar to gear 12 of the first electric unit. Rigidly attached to the driven shaft by a key or like means is a flange or circuit as shown when the switch arm is at spider 35 which carries a series of stub the contact point R Further changes in shafts on which are mounted gears 36 in the motor circuit will be made as desired, mesh with the gear 34:. On bearings 37 a and preferably the contact R, will indicate second flange is mounted so as to be rotathat the resistance R is connected in the cirtable and this flange has an internal gear 38 cuit with the two windings in parallel, and which meshes with the gears 36, and on the when the contact is made through the point periphery of this flange a brake is adapted R the two windings will still be in parallel, to be mounted between the small peripheral. but the resistance R will be dropped from flanges 39 which will maintain the brake the circuit at the position finally taken with band in position. the switch arm at R the second electrical The two armatures 10 and 31 have comunit will be entirely out of the circuit and mutators 41 at the rear ends on which bear the armature circuit of the first electrical the usual brushes 42. Upon the fly wheel unit will be closed directly through the remember 4, there are mounted a series of slip turn wire S Thus having started the enrings SR SR SR and SR which are gine, to rotate the driven shaft, the switch contacted by the usual brushes. Three of member will be moved to make a contact these will be electrically connected to the with R in which position the second unit field, the armature and the return wire or Will be in the circuit. At this time the field ground, the current carried to the second 9 will be revolving carrying the internal unit being taken from the common ring gear 11 therewith which in turn will rotate SR In the form shown, the fourth ring the gears carried on the stub shafts and thus is not employed but would be used where ro ating the small spur gear connected to a plain series generator is employed in which the armature. case the two ends of the field and armature The difference in Speed between the armawould be connected t th f ri11g ture and field will create a current through lVhen the dynamo i to b d as a startthe closed armature circuit and there will ing motor the switch will b l d th h be a drag upon reaction memberwhich will the contact S. I11 this position, the circuit begin to Tot-ate h riven Shaft, thereby rewill be made from the battery, through the during h r ive peed Of the two electric switch arm, and the contact S to the contact elelllentssegment A, the armature and the series field AS the TefletiOIl m m r drives the shaft of the dynamo and thence back to the batthe reletile p d Of the two electric eletelly h h th return i S Thi closes ments of the first unit decreases, while the the dynamo circuit and causes the dynamo relative p d f h l trie elements of the to operate as a m t T li h th second unit increases until the two units cranking operation, it is necessary to hold lmlahce- During this time the current the annular flange 15 f t ti i erated in the first unit will be sent into the which case the armature revolving will cause Second unit Which Will eet e8 1 r- 1n the field and the fly wheel of the engine to this Case as g as the internal 38 is revolve, in the opposite direction, the speeds p from revolving the rotation of the belng dependent upon the alue of the gear mature and the gear dI'lVG the train, stub shafts and the flange 35 which is also keyed to the driven shaft. As there is a When using the engine to drive the car, the switch Wlll be moved counter clockwise, g rehhchoh h 1t will be seen that the power is transmltted to the shaft through which will first close the exciting circuit through the end B of the switch arm, 0011- two Sets of gears thus increasing the q tact segments C and D, connections 8,, and AS the difference between the Speeds of the h l; th h th return or ground h- S armature l0 and field 9 will determine the This builds up the field in the first unit and in the Second hhih: th torque of this then further movementof the switch makes hhhi will depend entirely on the relative a closed circuit through the armature 10, se p of the cohpel'a-tive members of the ries field of the first electrical unit, contact first hhihsegment A, d th second l a -E 1 i As the control circuit is changed, the final wh h will t as a Series motoh B drive will occur where the second unit out f th movement f th arm h motor in of the first armature circuit, at which point fi ll b t t f th i it ti l as the brake will be released allowing the mowhe the a t t th i t R tor armature and gearing to float with the Wlth th second l t i l it or motor, driven shaft. From this time on the drive I'preferably employ a re ista R hi h will be through the first unit, the slip be will be in series with th two i di g f tween the two members being sufficient to the motor in the first position, that is when furnish enough current to keep the armature the switch arm is in contact with the point 9 revolving substantially with the field 10. R As the motorprcks up in speed, first, From this time on the drive will be enthe reslstance R wlll be dropped from the tirely through the first unit, the reaction member turning atsubstantially the same speed as the field.

In the present device, the value of the gear train in the first electrical unit is three to one which means that the armature will revolve three times as fast as the field but in the opposite direction which means an actual 4 to 1 reduction. As the stub shafts transmit the torque, at no time can there be more than 55 the torque transmitted through the electrical unit, that is the armature and the small spur gear. In this way it has been found possible to use an electrical unit of only one fourth the size required, were all the torque transmitted through the electrical clutch action, and yet all the advantages of electrical transmission are retained.

The second unit is simply a torque multiplier to be used in starting the heavy pulling when an increased torque is desired and is designed to take the place of the usual transmission gears now ordinarily used. By driving through a 4 to 1 reduction here, great torque can be obtained with a small electrical unit which is an important feature. A great saving in weight is obtained along with the advantages of the smooth electrical clutch action, and use can be made of a very small high speed electrical unit. In this connection, it will be readily apparent that a gear train of any desired value may be used depending on the torque to be transmitted and a gear train having a value of 4 to 1, or one of 5 or 6 to 1 can be submitted. As the final drive is substantially a direct drive, the gear train can be made of any value found most suitable.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the f0llowing claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, two electrical units having relatively rotatable fields and armatures, and differential mechanism connecting said units with said driven member, one of said units being operable by said drlving member.

2. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, two electrical units having relatively rotatable fields and armatures, and differential mechanism connecting said units with said driven member, one of said units being operable by said driving member and adapted to act as a generating unit.

3. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, two electrical units, one of said units having a rotatable field and armature, the other of said units having stationary field and a rotatable armature, and differential mechanism connecting said units with said driven member, one of said units being operable by said driving member and adapted to act as a generating member, the other of said units being operable by the current produced by said first unit.

4. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, an electric unit, having two cooperative electric elements, oneof said elements being mounted on said driving member, the other being freely rotatable, differential mechanism connecting said two elements with said driven member, and a second electric unit adapted to be operated by the current produced in said first unit, and differential mechanism connecting said second unit to said driven member.

5. The combination of a driving member and a driven member; an electric unit consisting of a field element carried by said driving member and a freely rotatable armature element; differential mechanism operatively connecting said two electric elements with said driven member; a second electric unit consisting of a stationary field, and a rotatable armature; and differential mechanism connecting said armature to said driven member.

6. The combination of a driving member and a driven member; an electric generating unit consisting of a field element carried by said driving member and a freely rotatable armature element; planetary gearing connecting said two elements with said driven member; an electric motor unit consisting of a stationary field element and a rotatable armature element; planetary gearing connecting said motor armature element with said driven member, said motor unit being operated by the current produced in said generating unit.

7. The combination of a driving member and a driven member; an electric generating unit consisting of a field element carried by said driving member and a freely rotatable armature element; planetary gearing connecting said two elements with said driven member; an electric motor unit consisting of a stationary field element and a rotatable armature element; planetary gearing. connecting said motor armature element with said driven member, said motor unit being operated by thecurrent produced in said generating unit, and means for allowing said motor armature to revolve freely with said driven shaft.

8. The combination of a driving member and a driven member: an electric generating unit consisting of a field element carried by said driving member and a freely rotatable armature element; planetary gearing connecting said two elements with said driven member; said generating unit being adapted to act as an electrical clutch, the slip between the two elements determining the current output; an electric motor unit, consistsaid armature unit when no current is employed in said motor unit.

Signed by me this 19th day of May, 1916. 10

CYRUS B. KURTZ.

ing of a stationary field element and a freely rotatable armature element; planetary gearing connecting said motor armature element with said driven member; said motor unit being adapted to act as a torque multiplier and being operable on the current output of said generating unit; and means for freeing Attested by MARY GLADWELL, F. M. REGKTENWALT.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by sddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

